page_title: The Expendables 2
section_title: Filming
hierarchical_section_title: The Expendables 2 / Production / Filming
caption_attribution_description: Български: Снимка от интериора на новия терминал на Летище Пловдив English: Photo of the interior of the new terminal at Plovdiv Airport
context_page_description: The Expendables 2 is a 2012 American action film directed by Simon West, written by Richard Wenk and Sylvester Stallone and based on a story by Ken Kaufman, David Agosto and Wenk. Brian Tyler returned to score the film. It is the sequel to the 2010 action film The Expendables, and stars Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The story follows the mercenary group known as "the Expendables" as they undertake a seemingly simple mission which evolves into a quest for revenge against rival mercenary Jean Vilain, who murdered one of their own and threatens the world with a deadly weapon. It is the second installment in The Expendables film series.
  Principal photography took place over 14 weeks on an estimated $100 million budget. Film locations included Bulgaria, Hong Kong and New Orleans. Controversy arose over the accidental death of a stuntman and environmental damage caused during filming in Bulgaria.
  The film was released in Europe on August 16, 2012, and in North America the following day.
context_section_description: On a budget of $100 million, principal photography of The Expendables 2 began on September 29, 2011, and lasted 14 weeks. Filming took place largely in Bulgaria: at the Nu Boyana Film studio in Sofia, the city of Plovdiv and the town of Bansko. One of the film's larger set pieces took place at Bulgaria's second-largest airport (in Plovdiv), including gunfights, explosions and car chases throughout the terminal. On October 27, 2011, while the second-unit stunt team was filming at the Ognyanovo Reservoir 15 miles (24 km) from Sofia, stuntman Kun Liu was killed and another (Nuo Sun), was critically injured in a staged explosion on a rubber boat. Sun underwent a five-hour operation, which left him in stable condition.
  Filming also took place at Devetashka Cave in Lovech Province. As part of the cave shoot, BGN600,000 ($408,762) was spent rebuilding a 114 metres (125 yd) bridge from the cave over the Osam River; only the concrete bridge columns remained from the original structure. Nu Boyana Film Studios announced that the bridge would remain after filming, as a gift to Bulgaria.
  Other filming locations included Hong Kong and New Orleans, and filming was completed by December 25, 2011. On February 9, 2012, it was reported that The Expendables 2 was in post-production.
caption: Plovdiv Airport was the background for one of the film's largest action scenes (including the terminal)
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